Mike Vanderbilt reviews “War for the Planet of the Apes” on Daily Grindhouse

When the era of the superhero film is judged fifteen years from now, Marvel and DC’s output will be looked upon as pretty good—if bland—summer blockbusters. The STAR WARS franchise will be perceived as welcome diversions, but never truly be equal to the stellar filmmaking of the first trilogy, particularly the original film. While the latest entry in the PLANET OF THE APES franchise which began all the way back in 1968 does have a touch of nostalgia filmmaking in it’s D.N.A, the series will be held up as a gold standard in Hollywood, franchise filmmaking. Of all the major tentpole films that crowd multiplexes summer after summer, the APES movies seem to get lost in the shuffle, probably because each film is great, and there isn’t much to debate. WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES wraps up what is arguably the best modern special effects laden series with what is essentially an expertly crafted war drama